Gathering in the Garden

Visiting Our Peace Garden

On the hottest day of the year, a visitor sought refuge in our peace garden. 

Photo courtesy of Rabbi Schwartz.

A Rosh Hashanah Visitation

In the early morning hours of Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Schwartz welcomed a visitor in our Adas Emuno garden, as he later related at the start of services. Here is the photograph he took, standing just a few feet away:

A six-point buck was truly an auspicious omen for the start of the new year. As Rabbi Schwartz noted, six points on his antlers for the six points of the Star of David, and the six lamps of the menorah. 

And so we join together with our newfound friend to say, Shana Tova!

Sunday's Gathering in the Garden

Gathering in the Garden!

Our Garden of Zen

Here are some photos from the latest addition to our Adas Emuno Garden, a Zen Garden! Here are Michael Cohen and Rabbi Schwartz working on the garden, pictures courtesy of Michael Fishbein:

And here is the finished garden, pictures courtesy of Rabbi Schwartz:

 

 

The perfect setting for a moment of Zen, prayer, and meditation, or simply a bit of quiet relaxation!

 

A Garden Concert on a Blustery Day

September 20th turned out to be a blustery day, posing many challenges, but in no way deterring the Bergen County Chapter of the American Recorder Society from treating us to a concert in our garden once again treated (see last year"s post, Recorder Concert Coming Up!).

Here are some images from that windy but lovely autumn afternoon:

And that concludes our photo essay. We'll post more on the garden soon! 

 

Poetry is Alive and Well at Adas Emuno

from the pages of Kadima, the newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno: 

A Message from Trustee Doris White:

Poetry is Alive and Well at Adas Emuno 

We call it Poetry Garden, and we meet the second Sunday of each month from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. In the spring and summer, we do actually gather in the peace garden, but as the temperatures fall, we create our own garden of words in the social hall. What better way to begin the week. Some of us come to read a favorite poem, others just to listen to the words and their music, still others are brave enough to read a poem or two of their own creation. The poems are thoughtful, humorous, philosophical, political or personal. It’s really a lovely hour spent with the sounds and themes of poetry. As Christopher Frey put it, “Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement.” Please join us.



The next Poetry Garden get together will take place on Sunday February 8th, at 7 PM in our Social Hall.


 

My Top Ten Reasons To Be Excited About the Coming Year at Adas Emuno

 

From the pages of Kadima, the newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno:

A Message From Our President

Dr. Lance Strate

My Top Ten Reasons

To Be Excited About the Coming Year at

Adas Emuno

Rabbi Schwartz is an inspiration to us all, in so many ways, and one of the ways that he has inspired me is his penchant for creating top ten lists. I have to admit that that sort of thing was never my cup of tea, although I have appreciated David Letterman's ability to come up with them night after night. But I do have to acknowledge that there is something about a numbered list that attracts people's attention, and they do provide a structured and organized way to convey a whole bunch of thoughts and ideas. So, I thought I'd try my hand at putting one together this time out.

And I have to tell you that I am very excited about how we have dealt with problems that presented themselves last year, and how we are poised to move forward over the coming year. So, without further ado, here are my top ten reasons why this coming year at Adas Emuno will be one of our best years yet:

1. Our new Cantor. Sandy Horowitz has already brought her musical magic to our Friday night Shabbat services for several weeks now. Our congregation has very high standards when it comes to music, and Cantor Horowitz definitely meets them, and in many ways exceeds our expectations.

2. The Dream Team. Although they have only been leading services together for a short while, Rabbi Schwartz and Cantor Horowitz are working together seamlessly, making services truly a pleasure to attend. And it has been many, many years since our pulpit has been graced by both an ordained rabbi and an ordained cantor.

3. New congregational leadership. I am positively kvelling about the infusion of energy and spirit that the newest members of our Board of Trustees, Judith Fisher, Susan Gray, Jody Pugach, Doris White, and Sandy Zornick, have brought to the board in their first few weeks as trustees.

4. And new officers. It is also so very gratifying to have Vice-President Elka Oliver and Recording Secretary Marilyn Katz providing added energy to our executive committee.

5. A new Religious School Director. Cantor Horowitz, in taking over the dual role of clergy and principal, brings to the job authority and expertise, along with a wonderful sense of warmth and openness, which is exactly what we need. Combining the two positions is part of a growing trend of installing Cantor-Educators, and through that innovation we can look forward to greater coordination between school and shul, something we have wanted to see for a long time now.

6. A new Tot Mitzvah program. We have recognized for some time now the need to strengthen our programming for families with preschoolers, and thanks to Doris White, working together with other volunteers and Cantor Horowitz, we will be launching an innovative new program this fall.

7. The return of Torah Study. What would Saturday mornings be without it? And as led by Rabbi Schwartz, our Torah study sessions are extraordinarily popular. This year we continue our focus on family narratives in the Bible, with special attention to King David.

8. The return of Adas Emuno Has Talent. Our first talent show, held in April of 2013, was an enormous success, and after a one year hiatus, we look forward to its return to our schedule in January of 2015. The event serves as a wonderful showcase for the amazing group of kids we have in our temple (and our adults aren't half bad either).

9. Poetry Garden. This summer we began to meet as a small group to read poetry out loud in the Adas Emuno garden. It has been a modest affair, but one that has generated enough interest to schedule monthly gatherings throughout the coming year, to meet in the garden if weather permits, or in the social hall. And prior to the September Poetry Garden meeting, we will also be treated to a concert in the garden courtesy of the recorder society that rents our social hall.

10. And there's more! More social action initiatives! More adult education programs! More musical events! More than I can fit into a top ten list, so I'll just say that there's more in the works, so stay tuned.

I think 5775 is going to be a breakout year for Adas Emuno, and I hope you agree with me that there's so much to be excited about. And let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Shana Tova, and I look forward to seeing you on the High Holy Days, if not before.

Recorder Concert Coming Up!

From the pages of Kadima, the newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno:

Recorder Society to Perform in the Temple Garden 

on Sunday, September 14 at 4 PM

Members of the Bergen County Chapter of the American Recorder Society who meet each month in our temple social hall, will perform in the temple garden on Sunday, September 14 at 4 PM. The group, most of whom play the recorder as an avocation, will present a program of “Recorders through the Ages”, with music spanning over 500 years.

Wine and cheese will be served. This event is open to the community. Suggested donation: $5 per person.

Founded in 1939, the American Recorder Society (ARS) is a membership/service organization dedicated to meeting the needs of amateur and professional recorder players.  Since its founding, the ARS has helped to rekindle an interest in early music while also supporting and encouraging contemporary compositions for the instrument. The Bergen County Chapter of the ARS was founded in 1967.

Poetry Garden

On the success of our first few gatherings in the Adas Emuno garden, we decided to make our poetry readings a regularly scheduled monthly event. Our next Poetry in the Garden will be this Sunday, August 24th, at 7 PM. Then, starting in September, we'll be meeting on the second Sunday of each month. Here's a summary:

We're calling the event Poetry Garden even though we'll only meet in the garden when weather permits. Otherwise, we'll have the readings in our social hall. And in October, we'll do Poetry in the Sukkah! Hope to see you there!

A Peace Pole for Our Garden

One of the newest additions to our marvelous little garden is a peace pole, with a prayer for peace written in Hebrew, English, Spanish, and French. 

On the English side, the words read, "May Peace Prevail on Earth," a message central to our faith, and a prayer that for all of humanity.

If you haven't yet been to visit the Adas Emuno garden, located on the far side of our religious school building, well, what are you waiting for?

Our next session of Poetry in the Garden will take place on Sunday evening, July 20th, at 7 PM. You can come just to listen, or to take turns reading poems. Bring your favorite works by Jewish poets, your own original poems, or any other poems you would like to read. In the event of inclement weather, we will meet in the religious school building. Poetry in the Garden is free and open to the public.

Happy Fourth of July!

With the Fourth of July falling on a Friday, we can expect a Shabbat evening filled with fireworks, and we don't mean only of the spiritual variety.

For this reason, tonight's services will be held at an earlier time, 6:00 PM rather than 7:30 PM. And if weather permits, we will hold our services outside, in our garden (next to our religious school building).

And to get into the true spirit of 1776, in a Jewish way, here is a short video entitled Jews In America; The American Revolution:




 
And here is the substantial write-up on YouTube by John G. Fox:

The American Revolution gave birth to a nation with a constitution that embraced to an unprecedented degree religious freedom and liberal ideals of democratic equality. The new federal government of the U.S. was to be utterly blind to differences of religion, allowing all to vote and to hold public office. Jews had never experienced anything like it in all their 1,700 years of Diaspora life.

Previously, the Jews of North America had been sojourners—tolerated, even welcomed, in some places, but not in others. The revolution, however, had changed the social and political landscape. Jews had overwhelmingly supported the cause of independence and had fought alongside other patriots. They were partners in the new enterprise and they took pride of ownership in the new republic. Public awareness of Jewish participation in the revolution also helped win acceptance of the Jews as a part of the fabric of America.

Although the struggle for political rights at the state level would take several decades, American Jews now felt entitled to rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and stepped forward openly to fight for them. This new sense of pride and self-assurance was already evident in the 1790s, during the debates between Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans, when Jews openly defended themselves against the occasionally bigoted attacks of Federalist writers. 

Jews were eager to join in the political life of the nation and to be seen as completely American. They marched in parades celebrating the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. They had been part of Freemasonry, a movement to which many of America's founding fathers also belonged, since its inception in America. They served in public office at the municipal, state, and federal levels, except in a few states that still required a religious test for public office. There were some who resented the Jews, but almost every religious group in America had its enemies. By the 1820s, American Jews, although still extremely few in number, felt that they were as American as any other social or religious group. What is more, a large number of other Americans agreed with them. 

While the Jews of Colonial America supported the fight against British tyranny, one name stands out from all the rest: Haym Salomon. Here now is the Haym Salomon Doc Promo 2014 created by the the Jewish War Veterans, Department of California, on their effort to produce a documentary about the Jewish hero of the Revolutionary War:






 
And while we're on the subject, here's an interesting video entitled The Jew Who Saved America -- Who Was Haym Solomon?. Most of the video is an explanation of the symbols found on the dollar bill and the Great Seal of the United States, but there is a tribute there to Haym Salomon that will leave you never looking at our currency and Seal the same way again. The video ends with a patriotic song that is only fitting for our American Independence Day:






 

And finally, it is only fitting that we include here the text of the letter sent by George Washington to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport, dated August 18, 1790:

Gentlemen:

While I received with much satisfaction your address replete with expressions of esteem, I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you that I shall always retain grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced on my visit to Newport from all classes of citizens.

The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which are past is rendered the more sweet from a consciousness that they are succeeded by days of uncommon prosperity and security.

If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good government, to become a great and happy people.

The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy—a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.

It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my administration and fervent wishes for my felicity.

May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants—while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.

May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.

G. Washington

And in that Spirit of 1776, 

we wish you and yours 

a very happy Fourth of July, 

and Shabbat Shalom!

from the pages of Kadima, the newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno:

From the desk of …                    

 Rabbi Barry Schwartz

    

A Tribute to Our Teens

I know teens can be tough. I raised three of them myself. Adolescents can be adversarial. They can be insolent, insubordinate, and impudent (among other adjectives I can think of—all good SAT words).

But you’ve got to love ‘em as well. You can see them maturing (slowly) before your eyes. You can see the glimmer (occasionally) of thoughtful, caring human beings. You can’t help but appreciate their energy (when they are not sleeping late) and their passion (when they are not distracted). It’s even possible to have a good conversation with them (when they are not on their cell phones).

In all seriousness I want to pay tribute to our teens, because they enrich the life of our congregation in ways you may not appreciate.

Members of our Confirmation Class make a three year commitment past bar/bat mitzvah, and study with me on a bi-weekly basis. Our madrichim (Religious School teaching assistants) provide invaluable support to our teaching staff. They are quite popular with our students and serve as great role models. Our talented readers and singers enhance our celebration of the High Holidays and Purim. Behind the scenes teens help with the maintenance of our house and grounds (and there sure was a lot of snow to shovel this year).

I’m going to name names in the list of activities below, all accomplished by our teens in the past year. It’s quite a list. Let’s just say it’s a collective thank-you to all our fine young people. We add special thanks to our graduating seniors as they move on to college—we will miss you.

Confirmation Class:

Rianna Rosenberg, Ethan Irby, Gabi Capote, Max Samoilovich, Oliver Raciatti, Julian Pecht, Drew Noorily, Steven Chartoff, Sasha Terentiev, Tate Irby, Ava Fisher, Skylar Oliver

 
Religious School Teaching Assistants:

Louis Fischer, Natalie Hayot, Sandy Pecht, Rianna Rosenberg, Steven Chartoff, Julian Pecht, Oliver Raciatti

 
High Holiday Torah and Haftarah Readers:

Rianna Rosenberg, Natalie Hayot, Sandy Pecht, Julian Pecht, Oliver Raciatti, Alex Bien, Emma Schuller.

 
Shofar (and video operation): 

Elliot Fisher

 
Purim Spiel:
 

Skylar Oliver, Steven Chartoff, Ulla Goldstein

 
Snow Removal:
 

David Johannesson, Max Capote.

 
Garden: 

Michael Cohen

Sukkot Family Day

Here are some photographs from this past Sunday's Family Day for the Adas Emuno Religious School, held in conjunction with the 8-day Festival of Sukkot.

There were art projects:

And visits to our decorated Sukkah:

And a very special gardening project, planting bulbs for the promise of a flower-filled springtime:

The flower beds between our Temple and Religious School that have longed lain fallow are now full of life thanks to our students and the adult volunteers who worked with them.

Our thanks to everyone who lent a hand or thumb, green or otherwise, to keeping Adas Emuno beautiful this Sukkot holiday!